The London Magazine Club Awards 2017

The winners of the inaugural The London Magazine Club awards were announced tonight in what was a spectacular evening of celebration in the property industry.

Created by The London Magazine and hosted at the Philip Mould & Company gallery in Pall Mall, the awards celebrated the best in industry innovation, media creativity and charity-giving among Central London Estate Agents. Nominations came from across prime London estate agencies, from the largest brands to the boutique companies.

Antoine was honoured for his extraordinary contribution to innovation in the London property industry over his incredible career. Lurot was the first to use price per square foot to value residential property in the UK and the first to create floor plans for all his instructions. In 1991 he was one of the three founder directors of CLEA, and one of the 21 founder firms of ARLA. He was appointed a fellow of the NAEA from day one, for his ‘contribution to the industry’.

Judge and The London Magazine editor Anne Cuthbertson said, “Antoine Lurot is a true innovator, with the passion, conviction and courage to break with convention. He has made an outstanding contribution to London, and his pioneering ideas have been game-changers to the industry. He demonstrates the finest qualities of the boutique agent – the expertise, personality and people-first approach. By specialising in one property type, he has become the go–to guardian of London’s historic mewses.”

Special Charity Award

Winner: Andrew Scott, Strutt & Parker

Highly Commended: Sami Robertson, Knight Frank

The winner, Andrew Scott helped his agency, Strutt & Parker, raise £250,000 for Cancer Research, the Sebastian Coe Charitable Foundation and the Francis Crick Institute. Andrew, a triple cancer survivor, lead the Strutt & Parker team on three assaults on the Three Peaks Challenge, a triathlon from Reims to Canterbury, The London Marathon (which he is doing again next year, with one lung), and 5,000 miles in bike challenges.

The Judges said this was: “A very worthy, very emotional win”. He has raised a “phenomenal amount of money with his team. This man motivates people.”

Sami Robertson raised £14,000 for Raise Your Hands, a member community that supports small UK charities working with children, by swimming the Straits of Gibraltar. The judges thought this endeavour “deserved a gold medal”.

Media Star Award

Winner: Peter Wetherell, Wetherell

Highly Commanded: Tim Macpherson, Carter Jonas

This award was given to individuals who showcase the strength of experience to become the go-to person for journalists and broadcasters looking for sharp insight.

The winner, Peter Wetherell of Wetherell Estate Agents was lauded for his attitude to research and rolling his sleeves up so he is always at the forefront with a campaign or story. This has allowed him to appear in TV documentaries and radio interviews, based on his theme of bringing life back to Mayfair.

The judges said: “Peter is always in the forefront, with a campaign or with a story. He is the personality of his agency. He doesn’t have a big research and PR department behind him but he pushes well above his weight. He has his local area nailed down.”

The judges also commended Tim Macpherson, who because of his intelligence, dynamism and robust views has helped put Carter Jonas on the maps as an authority in London property.

Best Advertising Campaign

Winner: Marsh & Parsons’ ‘Matching People and Property’ campaign

Highly Commended: Dexters

Judges were looking for a cut-through campaign that engaged the consumer on a human level, creating a conversation which in turn would raise profile.

“The winner demonstrated a most imaginative, engaging and different campaign” said Clare Broadbent, CEO of Cedar, publisher of The London Magazine. “The series humanised Marsh & Parsons, as this campaign is not really about property, it’s about people. It has really hit home”

Best Innovation Award

Winner: Jackson-Stops for their new marketing tool, Reach.

Reach gathers online behavioural patterns to better inform and target the right people, in the right places on the right devices.

The judges praised the innovation: “It is digital, but it is about people which is what agency is all about, so it’s making it easier for the consumer.”

Giving Back to London Award

Winner: Chestertons St Mungo’s homeless charity partnership

Chestertons have raised nearly £25,000 for St Mungo’s since December 2016 through staff volunteering and the development of an in-depth guide to renting ‘The Real Lettings’ project. Chesterton’s were also paramount in the Calling London winter coat drive, with an amazing 33 of their offices becoming a public donation point.

A Chairman’s Award was also presented to LonRes by CLEA chairman Brian D’Arcy Clark. Accepting the award were William Carrington and Anthony Payne, founders and directors of LonRes, the property data capture company.

“Every so often a person, a firm – an idea even – comes along that changes and improves an industry,” Clark said. “With foresight and constant attention to detail, LonRes has helped the market place in general and agents in particular, to become better informed, more analytical and more trustworthy.”

Judges

Each award was judged and presented by industry leaders.

• Mark Hayward, chief executive of NAEA

• Peter Bill, former editor of Estates Gazette, freelance writer and contributor to The London Magazine

• William Carrington, founder and chairman of LonRes and board member of CLEA

• Anne Cuthbertson, editor of The London Magazine

• Clare Broadbent, CEO of Cedar Communications Ltd, publisher of The London Magazine

About The London Magazine

The London Magazine is London’s prime property magazine distributed to 70,000 of the capital’s most affluent households. The London Magazine Club is property and media club for Central London Estate Agents.

The Awards were created by the new The London Magazine Club, with thanks to Phillip Mould of the Philip Mould & Company gallery, and Chêne Bleu, the award-winning winery in the Vaucluse region of France. The London Magazine Club also wishes to thank Newby Teas, Timothy Han, Paxton & Whitfield, Hattingley Valley and Chilli Bees catering for their support on the night.